Siraj reveals how Ravi Shastri backed him after father’s demise

If there is one cricketer who has climbed the ladder of success rather quickly and smoothly in the recent past, the name of Mohammed Siraj would be right up there. The right-arm pacer shot into prominence during India’s historic, come from behind 2-1 series win Down Under earlier this year.

During the high-octane series, India had lost several of their top players at various junctures including the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and more due to different reasons. But the youngsters made sure to step up as they grabbed opportunities with both hands. Among the several youngsters, Siraj stood out by picking 13 wickets – the highest by an Indian bowler during the four-match Test series.

The right-arm bowler got to make his debut in the second test and picked a maiden fifer in India’s win in Brisbane, leading the pace attack with only Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini and T Natarajan for the company. What made Siraj’s success the most talked about one was how he dealt with the passing away of his father during the Australia series and the way he handled racial abuse from the crowds.

Mohammed Siraj on Ravi Shastri’s backing during the Australia tour

In a recent interview, Siraj revealed what Ravi Shastri, India’s head coach, said after the demise of his father.

“When I lost my father during the Australia tour, both Ravi sir and bowling coach Bharat Arun sir were so supportive. Ravi sir came to me and told, tu Test match khel, dekh tereko 5 wickets milega. Tere Daddy ka dua tera saath hoga (You play the Test match. You will get 5 wickets as your father’s blessings will be with you). Match ke baad Ravi sir ne bahut khush hokar bola, tujhe bola tha na 5 wickets milega! (I told that you will be getting five wickets). I became very confident after my coaches encouraged me in such a way,” Siraj told ABP news.

Siraj was also effusive in praise of Virat Kohli and appreciated the skipper for constantly backing him in the Royal Challengers Bangalore team.

“Virat Bhai is always there. When I couldn’t perform well in the IPL two years back, he showed faith in my ability. He retained me in RCB and I am grateful for this,” said Siraj.